Cable operators have widely deployed high-speed data services on cable television systems. These data services allow subscriber-side devices, such as personal computers, to communicate over an ordinary cable TV network Hybrid Fiber Coax (HFC) cable. A Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) connects the cable TV network to a data network, such as the Internet.
For various reasons, such as when a particular cable modem is used to send malicious traffic, cable operators may desire to block a cable modem from sending the communications over the network. The disclosure that follows solves this and other problems.